Amid a steep crash in mango prices, especially of the totapuri variety, the Centre on Tuesday approved the procurement of 2.5 lakh tonnes of mangoes from Karnataka at Rs 1,616 per quintal for the 2025-26 season under the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS). The move follows farmer protests and appeals for government support after prices plummeted to Rs 400 – Rs 500 per quintal in key producing areas.

The procurement, to be carried out by the Union Agriculture Ministry, comes after Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy flagged the issue with Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. In a letter to Kumaraswamy, Chouhan confirmed the approval and expressed hope that the intervention would offer timely relief to farmers hit by market volatility.

Karnataka has cultivated mangoes on approximately 1.39 lakh hectares this season, with an expected output of around 10 lakh tonnes. While modal prices in May hovered between Rs 1,200 – Rs 2,500 per quintal in districts like Kolar, Chikkaballapur, and Ramanagara, prices in Srinivaspur—known for totapuri—recently fell as low as Rs 450 – Rs 550 per quintal.

The price crash has been partly attributed to a recent entry ban on Karnataka-grown mangoes by Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district administration, further tightening market access and exacerbating the supply glut.

Mango is a major horticultural crop in Karnataka, and the Centre’s intervention is expected to stabilize the market and prevent distress sales during peak harvest.